History

Prior to the establishment of the city, the area had been inhabited by numerous Indian tribes, who had adapted to a semi-nomadic lifestyle necessary for survival on the Great Plains. The Pawnee, Otoe and Sioux had inhabited the region for hundreds of years by the time the Omaha tribe had arrived from the south in the early 1700's. Translated, the word "Omaha" means against the current, and the Omaha tribe would have had to go against the southward current of the Missouri River as they migrated north. The Omaha Indians were closely related to the Pawnee, sharing many of the same traditions and cultural similarities. On July 21, 1804, members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed by the riverbanks that later became the city The expedition stopped about 20 miles north, at which point they first met with the Otoe, and had a council meeting with members of the tribal leadership on the west side of the Missouri River. A decade later, adventurers and fur traders were frequenting the region, trading at Fort Atkinson, which was built in 1819 as a military outpost adjacent to the location of the earlier council meeting. The Mormons lived temporarily in the region from 1846 to 1848 before resuming their westward migration.

Omaha was founded in the summer of 1854 by land speculators from Council Bluffs, months after the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory. Later that year, Omaha was chosen as the territorial capital for Nebraska. Omaha was chosen as the eastern terminus of America's first transcontinental railroad in 1862 with the passage of the Pacific Railroad Act. This ensured that Omaha would become a major transportation center for the entire country in the years to come. The loss of the capital to Lincoln in 1867 did not slow Omaha's growth in the decades to come.

Omaha's growth was accelerated in the 1880s by the rapid development of the meatpacking industry in South Omaha; in the 1880s, Omaha was the fastest-growing city in the United States. Thousands of immigrants from central and southern Europe came to Omaha to work in the stockyards and slaughterhouses, creating Omaha's original ethnic neighborhoods in South Omaha.

A low point in Omaha's history was the Omaha Race Riot of 1919, which occurred in September 1919 after a black man was arrested and accused of raping a white woman. A mob formed and removed him from the Douglas County Jail on the top floor of the County Courthouse. The man was hanged from the lamppost on the south side of the Courthouse and his body was burned and dragged through the streets. The mayor attempted to intervene and was nearly hanged himself. The Courthouse was set on fire and seriously damaged. This incident was dramatized by playwright Max Sparber and produced by the Blue Barn Theatre in 1998 at the Douglas County Courthouse, the site of the riot.

The Omaha Stockyards was the world's largest livestock processing center during the 1960's having taken over that distinction from Chicago's Union Stockyards in the late 1950s. As improved truck and boxcar refrigeration capabilities encouraged the slaughtering process to move closer to feedlots, all centralized stockyard activity declined and the Omaha Stockyards were closed in 1999.

Image:Omaha skyline humid day.png
The Omaha Tornado of 1975 is another grim day in Omaha's past. An F4tornado ripped through neighborhoods along South 72nd Street on May 6, 1975, killing 3 and injuring 133. In terms of damage, it was the most costly tornado in American history to that date, with damage estimates between $250 million and $500 million. In January 1975, the city was paralyzed by a devastating blizzard which dumped several feet of snow on the city.

Omaha demolished a downtown district of brick warehouses called "Jobbers Canyon" in 1988, which was once listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The delisting and demolition of Jobbers Canyon to make way for the campus headquarters of ConAgra constituted the greatest loss of protected buildings in the history of the National Register Program.

Geography

Omaha is located at 41°15'38" North, 96°0'47" West (41.260482, -96.012990)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 307.9 km² (118.9 mi²). 299.7 km² (115.7 mi²) of it is land and 8.2 km² (3.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.67% water.

Dundee is an increasingly trendy neighborhood in central Omaha near 50th and Dodge Streets. Originally a separate city, Dundee was annexed by Omaha in 1915, but this annexation was fought until 1917.

Elkhorn is a fast-growing, residential suburb west of Omaha in Douglas County. On March 8, 2005, Omaha annexed Elkhorn; this annexation was upheld by a district court order on August 19.<ref>[1]</ref> This annexation is not yet final, as Elkhorn has appealed the district court ruling.

Millard is a broad area of southwest Omaha; originally a separate city, Omaha annexed it in 1971. The original town site is near 132nd and Q Streets. The Millard school district is separate from that of Omaha.

North Omaha just north of downtown Omaha, is the urban center and one of Omaha's most progressive communities. Though predominantly an African-American neighborhood, North Omaha boasts a rich and diverse culture.

Papillion is a suburb south of Omaha and immediately south of La Vista. It is the county seat of Sarpy County.

Ralston is a residential suburb in south-central Douglas County roughly bounded by 72nd, 84th, L, and Harrison Streets. It is surrounded by Omaha on three sides.

South Omaha is a working-class neighborhood south of downtown Omaha, originally settled by immigrants from central, eastern, and southern Europe. Once a separate city, it was annexed in 1915. Today its population is predominantly Hispanic.

Climate

Though located at approximately the same latitude as RomeItaly, Omaha, by virtue of lying near the center of the North American continent, far from either large bodies of water or mountain ranges, has a typically continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters. Average July maximum and minimum temperatures are 31°C (88°F) and 18°C (66°F) respectively, with moderate humidity and relatively frequent thunderstorms; the January counterparts are -1°C (31°F) and -11°C (12°F). The absolute maximum temperature recorded in the city is 43°C (111°F), the minimum -30°C (-23°F). Average yearly precipitation is 76 cm (30 in), falling mostly in the warmer months. What precipitation does fall in winter usually takes the form of snow, with average yearly snowfall being around 75 cm (30 in).

There are 156,738 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% are married couples living together, 13.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.10.

In the city the average age of the population is diverse with 25.6% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $40,006, and the median income for a family is $50,821. Males have a median income of $34,301 versus $26,652 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,756. 11.3% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Economy

Although Nebraska's economy is still primarily based on agriculture, Omaha's economy today has diversified to become a national leader in several industries, including banking, insurance, telecommunications, and transportation. Omaha's economy has grown dramatically since the early 1990s.

Omaha is the home of the headquarters of a number of major corporations, including:

The Durham Western Heritage Museum is located on 10th Street in the art deco Union Station. The museum has numerous permanent exhibits and is accredited with the Smithsonian Institution for traveling exhibits from the Smithsonian.

A portion of Omaha's renovated downtown area is known as the Old Market. It is home to a number of shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. The area also has uneven brick roads, horse drawn carriages, and street performers.

Between the zoo and the Old Market lies the Omaha Botanical Gardens (also known as Lauritzen Gardens). This 100-acre (40 hectares) botanical garden features 13 outdoor areas, including a rose garden, herb garden, children’s garden and an arboretum. It also includes an indoor floral display hall, educational programs for children and adults, annual festivals, a café, and a gift shop.

For every 12 blocks traveled east to west on Omaha's streets, you have traveled one mile.
The primary mode of transportation in Omaha is by car, with I-80, I-480, I-680, I-29, and U.S. Highway 75 (JFK Freeway and North Freeway) providing freeway service in the metropolitan area. The expressway along West Dodge Road (U.S. Highway 6 and Nebraska Link 28B) and U.S. Highway 275 is currently being upgraded to freeway standards from I-680 to Fremont; construction will be completed in 2008. Nevertheless, Metro Area Transit runs a number of bus routes within the city.